Visualizing the Rise of Megacities

The data team at The Economist has created a visualization that illustrates the global trend towards urbanization. Using demographic data from the United Nations dating back to 1950, the data team tracked the growth of global city populations over time and projected their expected growth until 2030. The visualization categorizes cities by population levels, revealing an increasing prevalence of megacities—cities with 10 million or more inhabitants. The visualization allows for a more nuanced understanding of urbanization around the world—for example, though Asia will have over half of the world’s megacities this year, Africa is experiencing some of the most extreme rates of urbanization.